COMMEMORATED IN PERPETUITY BY THE

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

William Giles of Steventon, Berks initially joined The 2nd Fife & Forfar Yeomanry which became part of The Royal Armoured Corps, Royal Tank Regiment in 1939. He was attached to HQ Squadron of The 29th Armoured Brigade and therefor part of The 11th Armoured Division that joined the Allied offensive in north-western Europe (Operation Overlord), which began with the Normandy landings of 6 June 1944. 

Most of the 11th Armoured Division landed on Juno Beach, Normandy on 13 June 1944 (D+7), seven days after the 3rd Canadian Division had landed on D-Day. 

The 11th Armoured Division also took part in the battle on the River Odon (Operation EPSOM) to the West of Caen, 25th-30th June. The offensive was intended to outflank and seize the German-occupied city of Caen, an important Allied objective, in the early stages of Operation Overlord. It was during this offensive that Lieutenant William Giles was killed in action. He is buried at the Bayeux War Cemetery.

The BAYEUX WAR CEMETERY, is the largest Commonwealth cemetery of the Second World War in France and contains burials brought in from the surrounding districts and from hospitals that were located nearby. There was little actual fighting in Bayeux although it was the first French town of importance to be liberated. 

The Cemetery, which was completed in 1952, contains 4,144 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 338 of them unidentified. There are also over 500 war graves of other nationalities, the majority German.